Contact structure for electrolytic cells



June 8, 1948. F. A. MORlN 2,443,112

CONTACT STRUCTURE FOR ELECTROLYTIC CELLS Filed May 50, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I June 1943- F. A. MORIN 2,443,112

CONTACT STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRQLYTIC CELLS Filed May 30, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. Frazmr/a flZ/rzr/ flank BY I June 8,1948. F, A. ORIN 2,443,112

CONTACT STRUCTURE FOR ELECTROLYTIC CELLS Filed May 30, 1942 a Sheets-Sheet s 14 INVENTOR. Zmana'ofll/md 1. mm Y C HTIOR/VE) patented June" 8, 1948 CONTACT STRUCTURE EQB'EIJEGTBQIPYTIC CELLS Fernando Alfred Morin, Baltimoreg Mdi, assignor' to American vsmelting and Refining fiompany', New York, N. Y a corporation of; New Jersey Application May 30, 1942,Seria1 -No. 445,149

My'in-vention relates to electrolytic apparatus, and more particularly to new and improvedlcontact structurefor connecting electrodes in. an electrolytic cell or group of cells, such as used in: refining metals and their alloy One object of this invention is. to provide, an improved contact structure for electrolytic apparatus of this character, wherein the interconnected elements, through which current is conducted, are so arranged that a firm and intimate metalrto-metal contact is produced at the joints whereby a minimum .of resistance is offered. to the passage of electric current.v

Another object is to devise an improved arrangement for making. electrical connectionwith the electrodes to provide maximum current-carrying capacity between the various parts while permitting the ready removal and. replacement of. individual electrodes;

Still another object is to provide a contact jyoint structure for electrodes which is easily cleaned of. electrolyte salts or foreign matter which tend to collect between the surfaces of the J'Oints increasing the resistance of the flow offie'l'ectric current causing heating with resultant loss of current fii ier'my- These and other objects and a'dvantage's of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the novel features will be more distinctly pointed out in the appended claims. For purposes of illustration and description, my invention is shown and described in" connection with the electrolytic refining of'zinc;

Although the electrode contact'structure' of this invention has been found to be-particularly useful in the construction and operation of electrolytic zinc cells employing aluminum headbars, it Willbe obvious the improved contactarra-nge- .m ent'i'sadapted for use with other types ofi head bars and" in'difierent electrolytic apparatus, such as utilized in the recovery or deposition of copper, cadmium, tin and the like.

Referring" to the accompanying drawings; Figure 1* is a general view in perspective-showing 'a bank of electrolytic cells wherein theelectrodes are connected in series utilizing the improved.

contact structure of this invention;

Figure 1w is a plan 'view of-a bank ofielectrol'vtic cells, suchas those of Figure 1', illustrating the inter-cell, and cell-to-bus bar connections;

Figure 2' is an enlarged fragmentary plan'- view,

partly' in section illustratingthe anode-cathode contact joint structure, and taken substantially orr't-he line 2'-2 of Figure 3 looking inthe direction of the arrows Figure 3' is a viewin-elevation of the contact.

means shown in- Figure 2 and. taken substantially on the. line 31-..31Qi Figured looking. inrthe directiornlofilthearrows; EigureAa a iragmentar-y ndi.eleyational view illustrating theccnstructiom and-arrangement of the anode and cathode electrode spacer means and" anode bus bar;

Figure is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure l illustrating themethodof-connectingthe end cathode electrodes to the negative bus bar; and

Figure. 6-;is-a perspective view of a section of the electrode insulating and spacer means which is suitably positioned'on top of the sidewalls extending lengthwise of the tanks.

Referring to the-drawing ind'etai'l Figure 1 shows" a bank ofelectrolytic zinc cell's comprising tanks H) for holding the electrolyte. The tanks are made of suitable material and preferablylined with lead or the-like acid resistant substance. Anode and cathode electrodes, generally designated ll and F2 respectively, are arranged in each tank and connected in series. The size of the electrodes andnum-ber in each cell may be yaried to suit theparticuiar conditions under which the process is carriedoutt the production of electrolytic zinc the anode electrodes are insoluble in the electrolyte. Lead or. silver-lead" alloy electrodes may be: used: for thispurpose. The anodes H, in the apparatus illustrated are in the form of sheetseach supported a head bar "I3 which spans the tank. These head barsare preferably made of? copper or similar material having high-electrical conductivity properties and the anodes are cast around, riveted or otherwise firmly.- secured thereto. On one sideofI the: bank oflcells the anode head bars 13 arearrangedto make electrical contact with a bus bar I4: which. in turn is connected to a sourceof electric current.

' tended end portion of a cathode head bar and is adapted tomake wedging contact with a grooved mushroom-rheadlike metal member l-1 fixed on the. adjoining extended end portionpof an anode head bar. The detail construction of the contact structure .is shown in Fifgures 2"ai n'di3i In the improved contact. tructure illustrated the.-.conta.ct'.member [5 is. preferably cone-shaped and: made ofhigh electrical conductivity metal such. as. copper or thelike. An integral. taper threaded male section It! is adapted to be screwed into ,aflared outer end'iemale' portion is or the the bright surface of the copper is brought into intimate pressure contact with a corresponding bright surface of aluminum and, when the parts i are screwed together tight, oxidation or infiltration of electrolyte salts between the-contact surface of the two metals is substantially prevented.

If desired the aluminum head bar may be tinned or brazed where the copper contact member passes through it to increase the resistance to infiltration of electrolyte salt. Preferably the member l6 and head bar are threaded together, as illustrated, but as an alternative method the freshly prepared surfaces may be sweated or drivingly fit together or otherwise joined in intimate metal-to-metal contact and wherein the joint is sealed against the entrance of electrolyte. In this way a particularly good electrical contact i made between the aluminum head bar it and the cone-shaped copper contact piece 16 producing a joint having sufficient current carrying capacity to avoid heating. I

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, similar shaped copper mushroom-head like contact members ll are positioned back-to-back'on each anode support bar l3. The cone-shaped copper piece l6 aiiixed to the cathode head bar I5 is arranged to be wedged in between opposed copper mushroomhead like members I! on adjacent anode bars. The surface contact face of each of the copper mushroom-head like protuberances ll comprises an outward sloping V-shaped groove 20 which provides two double line electrical contact surfaces between the parts as indicated by the dotted lines 2| on Figure 2. These contact surfaces are so located that the electrolyte salts, which tend to collect therebetween, causing heating, can be readily and effectively removed by applying a jet of steam or water along the line of electrode contacts between adjacent cells.

A flat surface portion 22 on the face of the contact head members I! beneath the V-shaped groove section, provides a proper contact surface with the positive current-carrying bus bar i l. Opposed fiat surfaces 22 on the heads I! are inclined in a manner to fit snugly against the side walls of the notches 23in the bus bar Id. The slidable wedging action between the contacting surfaces of the joints tends to keep the same clean and the adjoining surfaces are pressed into intimate contact by gravitational force so that electrical resistance therebetween is extremely low. v

The contact members l6 and I! are preferably made of copper, copper alloy or the like, however, if desired these parts may be shaped from other materials which possess high electrical conductivity such as silver or a suitable alloy thereof.

Current is conducted from the cathodes in the end tank back to the voltage source through the bus bar 24 which is suitably positioned adjacent the last tank or cell as shown to the right in Fig. 1. A series of taper reamed holes 25, hav-' ing drain openings 26, are provided in the bus bar to receive the cone-shaped contact members H6. The lower part of the cone-shaped contact members form a wedge-like fit in the upper taper portion of the drilled holes as shown in Figures 1 and 5. This construction provides a markedly improved electrical contact arrangement and permits the efiicient removal of electrolyte salts as described.

In order to accurately space the electrodes lengthwise of the tanks so that they will hang true and insure even distribution of current, electrode spacer means 21 is arranged along on top of the tanks on the opposite ledges as illustrated shown in Figure 6. These sections are adapted to be fitted together to accommodate the number of electrodes employed in each tank. For mounting the electrode spacer members on top of the tanks a depending portion 28 is shaped to fit in the slot 29 extending along lengthwise of the tank on top of the side walls. Alternate deep and shallow notches. are provided in the uppermost body portion 30 of the member 21 to receive the outer ends of the anode and cathode head bars, respectively, as illustrated in Figure 4. r

While certain novel features of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown, and that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a plurality of electrolytic cells having anodes and cathodes, means for positioning said electrodes in predetermined spaced relationship in said cells, said anode and cathode electrodes being provided with engaging electrical contact members at their outer ends for connecting the electrodes in adjacent cells in series, said contact members on electrodes of one polarity comprising a cone-shaped metal member attached in dependent position adjacent the outer end of each such electrode and said contact members on electrodes of the opposite polarity comprising a pair of mushroom-head like metal members attached one on each side of each such electrode adjacent its outer end, said cone-shaped member in one cell being seated in wedging contact between two, opposed mush room-head like members secured to adjacent electrodes in an adjacent cell, each of said mushroom-head like members having a central groove therein forming two single lines of electrical contact with said engaging cone-shaped metal member. 2. Apparatus for producing electrolytic metal comprising a plurality of electrolytic cel-ls arranged in side-by-side relation, spaced anode and cathode electrodes in said cells, conductor head bars for said anodes and cathodes extending across the cells, means for supporting said electrodes in predeterminedspaced relationship, said anode and cathode electrode head bars being provided at their respective ends between said cells with engageable electrical contact members for connecting the anodes Of one cell with the cathodes of the adjoining cell, one of said contact members comprising a dependent cone-shaped metal member arranged to make electrical connection with another contact member secured to an electrode head bar of opposite polarity supported on an adjacent cell, said last mentioned contact member comprising a grooved mushroom-head like metal member protruding from the side of its head bar and constituting, with a diametrically opposed grooved mushroom-head like contact member protruding from the side of another electrode head bar of the same polarity, a seat wedgingly engaging said coneshaped contact member, a bus bar along side one of the cells and provided with V-shaped serrations along its upper portion, and oppositely inclined surfaces on the lower portion of each of a pair of grooved mushroom-head like contact members on the same electrode seated in a serration of the bus bar aforesaid.

3. Apparatus for producing electrolytic zinc comprising a plurality of electrolytic cells arranged in side-by-side relation, spaced electrodes in said cells forming anodes and cathodes, conductor head bars for said anodes and cathodes extending across the cells, said cathode head bar being made of aluminum, cone shaped electrical contact means secured to the cathode head bars and dependent therefrom, contact means comprising a mushroom-head like protuberance having a grooved face portion positioned on the sides of said anode conductor head bars to receive said cone shaped contact means attached to cathode head bars of an adjacent cell, said anode grooved contact means having the groove inclined downwardly and outwardly to define wedge-shaped spaces between opposed grooved contact members, said cathode contact means on one cell being adapted to form a frictional wedging engagement in the opposed groove spaces formed between two adjacent anodes of the adjoining cell for removably securing the cathodes in proper alignment with the anodes.

4. Apparatus for producing electrolytic zinc comprising a plurality of side-by-side tanks for holding zinc containing electrolyte, anode and cathode electrodes positioned in said tanks, conductor head .bars for said electrodes extending across the respective tanks, said cathode electrode head bars being made of metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum-base alloy, dependent cone shaped metal contact means at one end of said cathode head bars of higher electrical conductivity than the latter and firmly secured thereto by means of tapered male and female threaded portions forming an intimate metal-to-metal contact connection which virtually prevents the entrance of electrolyte salts therebetween and substantially inhibits oxidization between the aluminum head bar and said metal contact means, grooved mushroom-head like metal contact means for said anode electrode head bars secured to the sidesthereof at one of their ends, an oppositely disposed pair of said last mentioned contact means on adjacent anode head bars in one tank forming a V-shaped seat for receiving a cone-shaped contact means on a cathode head bar in an adjoining tank, and a cathode bus bar alongside one of the tanks and provided with tapered holes for receiving cone-shaped cathode contact means in wedging engagement.

5. Apparatus for the electrodeposition of metal comprising a plurality of electrolytic cells arranged in side-by-side relation with anode and cathode electrode head bars spacedly positioned transversely of the cells, contact members for the head bars of one polarity comprising grooved mushroom-head like metal protuberances, one each being provided on each side of the individual head bar of that polarity adjacent one end thereof, and contact members for the head bars of opposite polarity comprising cone like metal bodies, one each being provided at one end of the individual head bar of polarity last mentioned and depending therefrom, said head bars being so arranged in the respective cells that the cone like body of one head bar in one cell wedgedly engages a pair of oppositely-disposed grooved mushroom-head like protuberances of two adjacent head bars in an adjoining cell, whereby a plurality of direct metal-to-metal lines of contact are provided between an electrode head bar of either polarity and a plurality of electrode head bars of the other polarity.

6. Apparatus for producing electrolytic zinc comprising a plurality of tanks positioned alongside each other for holding zinc-containing electrolyte, anode and cathode electrodes positioned in said tanks, conductor head bars for said electrodes extending across said tanks, said cathode electrode head bars being made of metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum-base alloy, metal cone-shaped contact means of higher electrical conductivity than said cathode head bar dependent therefrom at one end thereof and firmly secured thereto by means of a taper threaded male section screwed into a flared outer and female portion of the head bar yielding a metal-to-metal contact connection which substantially inhibits the entrance of electrolytic salts therebetween, grooved mushroom-head like metal contact means protruding from the sides of the anode head bar at one end thereof, an oppositely disposed pair of said grooved mushroom-head like contact means on adjacent anode head bars constituting a seat for receiving a cone-shaped cathode contact means, anode and cathode bus bars positioned. respectively, alongside the two outer tanks, one of said bus bars comprising notches for receiving a pair of said mushroom-head like contact means on a single anode head bar and the other bus bar comprising holes for receiving the cone-shaped contact means attached to a cathode head bar, said anode and cathode contact means, respectively, providing a freely interchangeable metal-tometal wedging contact with a bus bar of its own polarity or a contact means of the opposite polarity.

FERNANDO A. MORIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the OTHER REFERENCES Websters New International Dictionary, G. and C. Merriam Co., Springfield, Mass, (1940). page 2155. 

